You’re responsible for your private sewers and drains, we own the public sewers and drains and the council owns the highway drains and gullies.

Private sewers and drains

These are pipes within your property boundary (ie beneath your house, garden and driveway), and ones that take away flows from your property only to where they connect to pipework serving your neighbours.

Public sewers and drains

In most cases we’re responsible for the large sewers running under roads and pavements and the drains above them. Due to a law change in 2011, the sections of sewers and pipes you share with your neighbours, plus pipes outside your property boundary connecting to our existing network, are now our responsibility.

If you think one of our sewers is blocked, call us anytime day or night on 03457 145 145 and we’ll arrange for a technician to check it out.

If we own the sewer, we’ll clear the pipe, if it’s in your drain or private sewer, you’ll need to pay an independent drain clearing company to clear it for you.

Highway drains and gullies

If blocked highway drains and road gullies are causing surface water flooding they’ll need to be investigated by the highways department. The number for your local council contact is in the phone book or online.

Environment Agency

For advice on what to do before, during and after flooding in bad weather, call the Environment Agency’s 'Floodline' on 0345 988 1188 (the EA's website has call charge information).